C4 hires Thomas in Commissioning Editor role
August 18, 2023
Janine Thomas, has been appointed as Commissioning Editor Current Affairs for the youth strand Untold and will directly report to Louisa Compton, Head of News and Current Affairs, Specialist Factual and Sport. Now in its second series, the youth programming has proved to be remit-defining, with noisy journalism with titles such as Inside the Shein Machine, Jessie Lingard, Life after Love Island and The Secrets of UK Prisons.
The focus of this strand has been to produce films that speak to younger viewers on the subjects they care about, fronted by diverse and authentic voices from across the UK. It has also been responsible for finding new talent, and to expand the already strong pool of production companies that currently supply content to the wider department.
Since January, Thomas has held the role of Commissioning Editor, Documentaries working with Rita Daniels and taking on the day-to-day running of the career defining strand First Cut. She has also been across the long running First Dates as well as season two of Night Coppers and the new season of 24 Hours in A&E. Her other responsibilities included working with on and off screen talent.
Thomas was previously at Sky UK where she delivered a string of shows across the pay-TV broadcaster’s Documentaries, Crime and Nature channels. Previously at Channel 4, Thomas was Documentaries Assistant Editor and worked across a diverse slate.
Thomas commented: “ I’m deeply proud to be overseeing this digital series that has proved to be a great success amongst our key demographic. Untold has now established itself as a vehicle for distinctive journalism and nurturing new talent. Its success has been down to Debbie’s leadership and the N&CA team. I am very much looking forward to commissioning some ground-breaking content and working with both new and established companies.”
Compton added: “Debbie is a hard act to follow but I’m so excited to see what Janine does with the strand. She’s seriously impressed me with her passion for the audience and her instinctive understanding of what makes a good film. I’m sure Untold will go from strength to strength under her guidance”